40 Bulletin 1 72. 



kec'^ the iiies from tlie fruit for a certain time after their applica- 

 tion, as in the case of the same varieties of fruits, on trees that were 

 sprayed, they were unable to detect a single fly laying eggs, whereas 

 the flies were numerous and busy on adjacent trees. No spray, 

 however, was lasting, as where the applications were made from a 

 week to ten days apart, part of the fruit was infested, but not to 

 the same extent as on untreated trees, thus showing that the appli- 

 cations must be frequent during the ripening of the fruit to be of 

 anv avail. 



The experimenters record their belief tliat careful and frequent 

 eprayings with the mixtures noted above will protect a considerable 

 portion of the crop, but at the same time they are confident that to 

 be of any value the spraying must be very carefully carried out, and 

 must be backed up by destroying all infested fruit and taking ever^^ 

 possible precaution to keep the insects in check. 



In the second series of experiments made by Messrs. Benson and 

 Voller they tried to attract, catch or poison the flies. They record 

 that they had no success whatever as they failed to attract the flies. 

 They used highly-scented sticky baits, highly-scented poisoned baits, 

 and poisoned fruit baits ; but, though numerous insects of various 

 kinds were caught or destroyed, the fruit-flies escaped. The experi- 

 menters could not find that the flies fed on anything, as, with the 

 exception of seeing them occasionally apparently sucking the juice 

 exuding from a puncture they had made in a fruit, they were never 

 seen to be attracted by or feeding on anything. 



In South Africa the only eft'ectual method of preventing the fruit 

 from attacks by these fruit-flies thus far devised is to enclose the 

 trees in a fine-meshed mosquito netting during the time when the 

 flies are a1)0ut. 



We may thus iAean from the above summary of tlie results 

 attained in other countries in combating similar fruit-flies, that there 

 is but little hope of successfully combating our American cherry 

 fruit-fly in the adult or fly state. 



No careful experiments seem to have been made in Europe against 

 the European chei'i-y fruit-fly, and the recommendations made for 

 combating the ])ests are few, usually theoretical, and add nothing 

 new to what we have already suggested, witli one exception, which 

 may be of interest to housewives and eaters of the luscious fresh 



